1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to cribs and infant beds, and more particularly relates to a convertible bed for infants and small children wherein the crib transforms from a crib configuration for small infants to a bed that prevents toddlers from inadvertently climbing out of the bed and later to a small child's bed, wherein the child can freely enter and leave the bed at will, thus prolonging the life of the bed from the time of birth of the infant to ages six to eight (6-8) years old.
2. General Background
Many cribs are commercially available which are typically purchased when a child is born and used usually for a year or two after which time the cribs become unsafe because the child begins to crawl, stand and even walk. This increased mobility of the child creates a hazardous situation if the child is kept in a small infant crib because the child can climb over the railing of the crib and fall to the floor. Typically such infant cribs have mattresses that are high relative to the floor so that the mother can easily pick up the child and easily place the child back in the crib. Many cribs have decorative raised covers or canopies spaced a distance above the crib.
Generally, these prior art commercially available cribs are of little utility when the child passes the 1-2 year mark because they are a source of potential hazard when the child begins to climb and/or stand because of the problem of a potential fall.
Several bed/crib constructions have been patented which relate to convertible cribs and/or beds. A number of prior patents discuss the concept of a crib having a canopy or other structure fitted to the crib which is removable. Examples of patents having canopies are U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,530,728, issued to Ream; 2,958,084, issued to Kenney; 3,344,442, issued to Andrews et al.; 4,043,349, issued to Gays et al.; and 4,359,792, issued to Dale.
The Ream U.S. Pat. No. 2,530,728 shows a crib having a flat hinged safety top which can be positioned on a typical baby bed or crib without the necessary of making alterations to the bed structure to mount the safety top thereon.
The Kenney U.S. Pat. No. 2,958,084 discloses a playpen having a flat canopy or sunshade mounted to the top of the crib at four cornered posts in a suspended position above the playpen.
The Andrews et al. U.S. Pat. No. 3,344,442 discloses a transparent plastic bubble composed of a truncated pyramid base on the top that is mounted on sliding tracks with means for locking and unlocking the plastic bubble with respect to the crib.
The Gays et al. U.S. Pat. No. 4,043,349 describes a canopy apparatus for use in combination with a conventional child's crib. The canopy apparatus comprises a frame including a plurality of sides a plurality of support members interconnecting two of the plurality of sides and a cover secured to the frame and supported by the support members. The canopy is mounted on and secured to an upper rail of one side wall of the crib by at least one pivot clamp and may be retained in a closed position over the crib by at least one retaining clamp.
The Dale U. S. Pat. No. 4,359,792 discloses a crib formed of walls of mesh in order to eliminate a multiplicity of rigid vertical bars. In addition, a hemispherically shaped canopy of similar mesh structure is fitted to the crib. This canopy has sections which can be pivoted to an open position to obtain access to the crib.
These prior art patents all disclose crib covers which are directed to the problem of covering the crib rather than functioning as both a canopy in a raised position, as well as a protective cover for the crib and in combination with an overall bed structure which expands as the child progresses in years to the toddler ages and to the age of even six or eight years old, for example.
Many patents have issued which show cribs or beds having access doorways, but these doorways are primarily designed for use by the parents in accessing the interior of the bed to remove the child therefrom, rather than to the problem of providing an overall convertible bed apparatus which is expandable and convertible so that it can be used for infants and for a much longer period of time by a growing child both to sleep in and to play in. Examples of patents describing cribs with doorways include the U.S. Pat. Nos. the Almgren 949,389; the Knowles 1,776,440; the Bourdon 2,477,231; and Des. 231,874 issued to Weigel et al. These patents describe doorways which fold away from the crib allowing access to the crib from the exterior of the crib during the infant years, and from the interior of the crib during later years when the growing child uses the crib for sleeping as well as play.